Pfc. David T. Toomalatai

Teacher Mary Bane said David T. Toomalatai impressed her in her physiology and Advanced Placement classes. Although he joked around, he was well-mannered and knew how to talk to adults. "He had so much potential. Just tons," she said. "I always had a sense he was one of those students who was really going to go somewhere and do something. I'm really saddened at losing him so young." Toomalatai, 19, of Long Beach, Calif., was killed Jan. 27 in Taji when his ambulance rolled over a land mine. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood. He played wide receiver on the varsity football team and lettered in volleyball. After attending community college and working at a pharmacy, Toomalatai decided to enlist when he learned that Daniela Perera, his longtime sweetheart, was pregnant. Unable to be at her side for their son's birth March 28, 2006, Toomalatai would come to know Damien through numerous photographs. In September, the Army granted him a 10-day leave. "He was overwhelmed with the baby. He didn't know how to react," Perera said. "He was really happy, and he dedicated his time to the baby. He didn't want to go out."